Three tragedies – Russia mourns

Published time: 24 Mar, 2007 21:00 Edited time: 25 Mar, 2007 00:00

A fragment

Western double standards

Remember when Russia was lambasted in Western media last year when it banned the import of Georgian mineral water? Remember hearing that Russia was punishing Georgia’s Rose Revolution by means of an economic blockade?

Well where is the same media coverage when Estonia bans the same Georgian mineral water for the same reasons Russia did?

This past week Estonian health authorities banned the sale of Georgia's Borjomi mineral water. The reason was because high levels of barium were found. Barium is a metallic substance that is health threatening even in small doses. Last year, Russia too found Georgian mineral water to be a risk to the public and for the same reason.

This is an interesting story, particularly from a media angle. When researching this, I found that Lithuanian veterinarian and food authorities found an excessive concentration of barium in Borjomi as well, but this didn’t make head lines. Additionally, did you know that Borjomi is not listed as a mineral water to be sold within the EU? Why was Estonia importing it in the first place?

In my humble opinion, still another double standard is in play. Russia was grilled in the media for banning imports from Georgia. It was said that Russia was using trade as a political tool against Georgia’s so-called democracy. But there is very little media coverage when Estonia and the EU have a poor assessment of Georgian products for the same reason.

IMHO thinks the following: Western media and the EU should practice what they preach. Both have a bad habit of finding fault with others, but rarely scrutinise themselves. And both believe they are inherently and morally superior, when in fact they look like hypocrites.